Shoe innersole with



Feb. 21, 1956 H. DONE SHOE INNERSOLE WITH FILLER RETAINING MEANS Filed Jan. 27, 1954 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent SHOE INNERSOLE WITH FHJLER RETAENHNG MEANS Harry Done, Washington, D. (1. Application January 27, 1954, Serial No. 406,620

1 Claim. (Cl. 36-22) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

In the manufacture of most shoes it is customary to insert in the space between the insole and the outer sole a plastic substance such as a composition of comminuted cork or cork dust, rubber, etc. A defect in such structures is that the plastic material tends to creep and shift and also bunch, and to be molded to the specific shape of the bottom of the wearers foot, and particularly so in the temperate zones where the plastic becomes softened during warm spells. This reshaping of the plastic filler destroys a large part of its cushioning effect. Moreover, in the matter of army shoes this distortion of the filler renders many of the shoes entirely useless inasmuch as the large turnover in army personnel often necessitates the transfer of only slightly worn shoes from one person to another. Obviously, if the filler has been shaped to one persons foot it could not be worn with any degree of comfort by another.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide an anchoring means for the plastic filler of shoes whereby the filler is retained in substantially its original shape and position, thereby preventing any reshaping of the shoe such as would destroy its usefulness by another having a foot of the same size.

Another object of the invention resides in incorporating the anchoring means in the usual liner which is applied to the cavity of practically all insoles, thereby avoiding any extra steps or consumption of extra time in applying the anchoring means.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of means for preventing the creeping of shoe filler material when the shoe is in use by pressure from the wearers foot.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the innersole and filler as it would appear on a last when being incorporated in a shoe, parts being broken away;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the liner;

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 4 at right angles thereto; and,

Figure 6 is a perspective View of a fragment of the liner per se, representing a section inclosed by adjacent cords extending at right angles to each other.

The innersole itself is of conventional construction being composed of leather and shaped in the usual manner. This element is indicated by the numeral 1 and is provided with the usual flange 2 which is formed by skiving strips of leather 3 and 4 from the body as well illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. These sections 3 and 4 are permanently 2,735,196 Patented Feb. 21, 1956 secured together back to back in the usual manner, as by adhesive or the like, so as to form the upstanding wall or flange 2 surrounding a pocket or cavity 5 for the filler material.

It is usual to line the pocket 5 with a rather coarse woven fabric such as cotton duck, burlap, or the like, prior to charging the cavity with the plastic filler. In the use of the present invention, however, the duck, burlap or the like, has incorporated therein during the Weaving process a plurality of relatively large cords paralleling the warp and weft threads of the base fabric. In the drawings the base fabric is indicated by the numeral 6 and the spaced cords of relatively large diameter are indicated by the numeral 7. These relatively large cords are tied to the base fabric 6 at spaced intervals by interweaving them with the warp and filling threads of the base fabric as clearly indicated in Figures 4 and 5 and as will be readily understood by those skilled in the weaving art. The cords of each of the two series are indicated as spaced apart about one-half inch to provide the rectangular retaining projections as clearly indicated in Figure 1; it will be apparent, however, that the spacing of the cords may be varied between wide limits it being only necessary that they be sufliciently close to anchor the filler material suificiently to prevent the formation of pronounced depressions therein when the shoe is worn.

The filler material which is indicated by the numeral 8 may take any conventional form such as a mixture of ground or powdered cork, rubber, etc. This material is charged into the pocket or cavity 5 of the innersole and spread thereover until it is flush with the upper edge of the flange 2 of the innersole, thereby becoming securely interlocked with the cords which are in turn interlocked with the base fabric 6, which latter are permanently secured to the body portion of the innersole and the inner face of the flange 2.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have devised a method and means of interlocking and anchoring the filler of a shoe against creeping or bunching and that object is accomplished without the addition of any steps other than those conventionally used, that is to say, I have provided a specially constructed lining for the cavity or pocket of the innersole, but that it and the filler are applied in the simple conventional way of first attaching the liner to the walls of the innersole and thereafter merely applying the filler to the liner.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what I consider to be the preferred method and means of securing filler material against creeping or bunching, but since various minor changes may be made in structural details without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is intended that all such details be included within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

An innersole for shoes comprising a body portion, an upstanding flange extending around a part of the body portion, a woven fabric liner composed mainly of thin Warp and weft threads secured to the body portion and the inner face of the flange, and a plurality of large spaced cords extending transversely and longitudinally incorporated in the surface of said liner, whereby to form rectangular retaining projections to engage the filler of the shoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,050,396 Tetlow Aug. 11, 1936 2,273,697 Ellis Feb. 17, 1942 2,623,306 Griswold Dec. 30, 1952 

